Samoa, A Hundred Years Ago And Long Before eBook

Puapae said to Siati, “My father and sister
are dead, and all on account of my love to you; you
may go now and visit your family and friends while
I remain here, but see that you do not behave unseemly.”
He went, visited all his friends, and then he forgot
his wife Puapae. He tried to marry again, but
Puapae came and stood on the other side. The
chief called out, “Which is your wife, Siati?”
“The one on the right side.” Puapae
then broke silence with, “Ah Siati, you have
forgotten all I did for you;” and off she went.
Siati remembered it all, darted after her crying,
and then fell down and died.

CHAPTER VIII.

FOOD—­COOKING—­LIQUORS.

Animal and Vegetable Food.—­Bread-fruit,
taro, yams, bananas, and cocoa-nuts formed the staff
of life in Samoa. The lagoons and reefs furnish
a large supply of fish and shell-fish, of which the
natives are very fond; and occasionally all, but especially
persons of rank, regaled themselves on pigs, fowls,
and turtle. A detailed account of the flora and
fauna in this and other groups in Central and Eastern
Polynesia will be found in the published volumes of
the United States Exploring Squadron of 1838-1842.

Taro, cocoa-nuts, and ’ava were said to have
been brought from the heavens by a chief called Losi.
When on a visit there he was pleased with the taste
of taro, and tried to get some to take down with him.
He found a young shoot about the cooking-house, concealed
it under his clothing, but the Tangaloans were on
the watch. They made him take off his roundabout,
snatched the plant from him, pulled his hair, scratched
and cut his skin, and back he came to the earth in
a great rage.

He engaged six of the gods to go up with him again
and be avenged on Tangaloa and his people. He
proposed to take up a present of fish. They caught
ten, and were up before daybreak, and laid down a fish
on the doorstep of ten of the houses. When the
people came out of their houses they stumbled over
the slippery fish, fell and cut their foreheads.
They cooked the fish, but ate it with bruised heads.
And hence the proverb in times of difficulty, “To
eat with a bruise.”

Then followed a number of schemes on the part of the
Tangaloans to kill Losi and his party similar to those
described (p. 250). But all failed, and then
up jumped Losi and his party, and ran at the Tangaloans,
who fled and called out as they ran, “What do
you want?” “Cocoa-nuts,” said Losi.
“Take them all,” was the reply. Losi
again called to his party to chase, and they
rushed after the Tangaloans, who again shouted back,
“What do you want?” “Taro,”
said Losi, “to compensate for ill usage and
the tearing of my skin.” “Take it,
your claim is just; take it and be off.”
Losi ordered still to pursue, and again the call came
from the frightened Tangaloans, “What else do
you want?” “I want ’ava,”
replied Losi. “Take it, all kinds of it,
and be off.” Losi conquered, had his revenge,
and got what he wanted, and so came down from the
heavens with taro, cocoa-nuts, and ’ava, and
planted them all about.